2 ITT MEN CHARGED WITH SENATE LIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP09T00207R001000030069-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 5, 2011
• Sequence Number: 69
• Publication Date: March 21, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2011/08/05: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000030069-7
THE TRIB
ARTICLE APPEARED 21 March 1978
ON PAGE 10
The U.S..
r
2 ITT MEN CHARGED
WITH SENATE LIES;
charged two top officials of the Inter- collaboration with the CIA in a vain attempt
national Telephone & Telegraph Corp. per- to prevent the 1970 election of -Marxist
jured themselves. in testimony to a Senate Salvador Allende as president of Chile.
committee five years ago about company The statute of limitation was running out
Cooperation with the CIA in Chile. for all three officials.'-%.,
ITT senior vice president Edward Gerrity,
'54, and Robert Berrcllez, an. ITT Latin.. Geneen and Carrity denied ITT had
American official during the early 1970s,, given the CIA various' amounts ranging up
were each charged with perjury and to S1lmillion to help block Allende's election
obstruction of the investigation by the sub- which they feared would lead to expropria-.
committee on multinational corporations. tion of the corporation's $150 million
Conviction carries a maximum five-year holdings there.
.
The entence.
Thdepartment decided not to prosecute The Senate passed on the question of per-
ITT Chairman Harold Geneen,-68, in con- jury charges to the Justice Department in .
nection with his testimony before the Senate 1975 after disclosures ITT and the CIA had Foreigh Relations subcommittee in 1973. given funds to Allende's opponents:...,
Attorney General Griffin Bell decided to Harold Hendrix, 54, a former ITT direc
go ahead with. the prosecution of Gerrity tor- of public relations in Latin America,
and Berrellez despite fears in the in- pleaded guilty in 1976 to withholding infor-
telligence community a perjury trial would ' mation from the Senate subcommittee on ?
disclose national security secrets, by open- ITT activities, including a $1 million
ing the way for defense lawyers to demand assistance to the CIA.
classified CIA files. A grand jury was -dismissed Feb. 2'
Gerrity and Berrellez were both also without returning an indictment against
charged with one count of perjury and one Geneen, Gerrity and Berrellez. All three ITT
count of making false statements in 1974 officials waived their right to a grand jury
hearings before the Overseas Private Invest- hearing and so the same charges could be
ment Corporation.
filed through a "criminal information" " by
Berrellez also was charged with one count,'
ount . ?
prosecutors.
of conspiracy to obstruct the pm~eedings of
the Senate subcommittee, while Gerrity The five year statute of limitations fore
faced a separate count of encouraging a prosecuting Gerrity expires tomorrow,
fourth ITT Official,. Harold Hendrix, to Bcrrellei s statute of limitations expires on
testify falsely before thc?subcomrnittee. today and Geneen's expires in two weeks.
CIA director Stansfield Turner met with Former CIA Director Richard Helms last
Bell last Thursday to. express his concern. fall successfully plea-bargained for a mis-
The
cases arose from the Senate subcom= . demeanor charge of failing to testify fully to
the Senate about CIA operations in Chile af-
ter the intelligence community argued a
criminal trial could publicize .security
secrets.
Helms was given a suspended sentence
and a.$10,000.fine.
An ITT spokesman said last night that I e
company - is confident ? that the .twa.:.ex.4
ecutives will be cleared.
Approved For Release 2011/08/05: CIA-RDP09T00207RO01000030069-7